The date of the new battle, the meeting with Saint-Pierre and the dreams of a burger: what Nurmagomedov talked to fans about after canceling

Three days later, Khabib Nurmagomedov will try to win his 28th career victory and for the second time defend the UFC lightweight champion title. Currently, the Russian, like his counterpart Dustin Porrier, is undergoing a painful weight loss procedure, while participating in the planned activities to promote the fight. So, on September 4, athletes held open training sessions in front of hundreds of fans gathered at the Yas Mall.

On that day, six athletes performed in front of a huge crowd. In addition to Khabib, whose appearance was expected with special impatience, another Russian came to the makeshift platform. Islam Makhachev appeared in the arena in the company of the head of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), Javier Mendes, working in conjunction with Nurmagomedov. The athlete demonstrated his percussion skills, after which he answered several questions from ex-UFC fighter Dan Hardy.

Makhachev was lucky to be the first Russian athlete to feel the huge support from local fans of mixed martial arts. He was greeted here as a native, and each of his words was accompanied by cheers from the public. Islam, as always, was extremely modest and thanked the fans for their support, and also promised to return to the UAE.

“A lot of people came here - from Russia, the United Arab Emirates - from everywhere. Thank you for your support. One day I will perform in the main match at the tournament in Abu Dhabi, ”Makhachev promised.

In addition to Islam, flyweight fighter Joanne Calderwood and future opponents in the second main battle of the show, lightweights Edson Barbosa and Paul Felder, also appeared on the platform. After that, Dustin Porrier entered the arena. A few weeks before the fight, the American expressed confidence that he had many fans in Abu Dhabi, but during open training this was not noticeable. Most local fans met the UFC interim champion very coldly, and many also booed him.

Porie’s words that he was going to rewrite history at the UFC 242 tournament caused the greatest indignation. He admired Nurmagomedov’s ideal track record, but noted that his own defeats became important lessons for him and allowed him to do better. He suggested that invincibility could play a cruel joke with the Russian, and promised to leave the UAE with a champion belt.

In terms of movements, Porrier showed nothing new. His training session was completely devoted to his strong side - Dustin confidently worked on his paws with his hands and did not connect his legs, which in a fight with such a fighter as Nurmagomedov seems to be a reasonable step. Multi-way combinations were replaced by sprols (a protective technique against passage to the legs), without the skillful implementation of which it is impossible to count on success in the battle with the Eagle.

By far, the most anticipated was the release of Nurmagomedov. By the time the Russian appeared, the number of spectators had increased markedly, and those who wanted to watch their idol were not only at the platform itself, but also on other floors. The champion’s exit was expectedly accompanied by the “Habib! Habib! ”

According to the Russian, it was noticeable that at the moment he is not in the best physical condition due to the clipping. The soldier barely took off his shoes, after which he even staggered a little, but quickly came to his senses. First of all, Nurmagomedov decided to warm up the crowd and asked what time it was, to which he received an affirmative answer: “Habib time! (Khabib Time - one of the famous replicas of an athlete).

To the surprise of all those gathered, an open training session did not take place. “Orel” canceled the lesson and used this time to communicate more with the fans. Thus, the Russian made an elegant move with which he “killed two birds with one stone” - he saved his fans from an unremarkable routine and gave them the opportunity to ask their favorite athlete a question.

“In what round would I like to end the fight with Porrier? This is a tough question. Dustin is a tough opponent. He has a lot of experience in the UFC, but when I get into the cage, my plan is to make him tired and then give up, ”Habib admitted.

At the same time, he said that he would not dance Lezghinka if he defeated an American, and also noted that he hoped to have another match before the end of 2019.

“This is in the plans, but for now it’s hard to think about it. A few days later I have a fight, now I am chasing weight and focused on the fight. On Sunday I would like to eat a good steak and burger. And drink the juice, ”said Nurmagomedov.

The champion also answered a question about his possible battle with Georges Saint-Pierre. Earlier, both the Russian and the Canadian have repeatedly stated their desire to meet in the octagon, but UFC president Dana White categorically opposed this idea.

“I never talked about this with the UFC. And the matchmakers never asked me. But I think it would be a great battle. He is one of the greatest fighters. But I do not know. He ended his career. If he wants to come back and fight with me, he will have to go down to the light division. I don't want to fight him in the welterweight. If not, then I will continue to move and meet with other rivals, ”concluded Nurmagomedov.